Map: India’s Population Density Patterns
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India’s population has now grown to 1.42 billion people, topping China as the world’s most populous country. Spread over 1.27 million square miles (3.28 million km²), India’s average density comes in at 1,118 people per square mile (or 433 people/km²).
However, this already significant number can jump even higher, as seen in this population density map based on data from various government sources.
Ranked: India’s Largest Cities
Sprawling metropolises, Kolkata and Mumbai are incredibly dense, with over 24,000 people living within a square kilometer. This is significantly higher than Shanghai, which has only 16,982 people/km².
Both cities are erstwhile British trading outposts that grew to economic powerhouses at the height of the empire.
For more complete reference, here is a list of India’s most populous cities, corresponding neatly with the spikes on the map.
RankCityState/Union Territory2024 Population
Estimates
1New DelhiDelhi*34M
2MumbaiMaharashtra22M
3KolkataWest Bengal16M
4BengaluruKarnataka14M
5ChennaiTamil Nadu12M
6HyderabadTelangana11M
7AhmadabadGujarat9M
8SuratGujarat8M
9PuneMaharashtra7M
10JaipurRajasthan4M
11KozhikodeKerala4M
12MalappuramKerala4M
13LucknowUttar Pradesh4M
14ThrissurKerala4M
15KochiKerala4M
16IndoreMadhya Pradesh3M
17KanpurUttar Pradesh3M
18NagpurMaharashtra3M
19CoimbatoreTamil Nadu3M
20ThiruvananthapuramKerala3M
21PatnaBihar3M
22BhopalMadhya Pradesh3M
23AgraUttar Pradesh3M
24KannurKerala2M
25VisakhapatnamAndhra Pradesh2M
26VadodaraGujarat2M
27NashikMaharashtra2M
28VijayawadaAndhra Pradesh2M
29KollamKerala2M
30RajkotGujarat2M
31LudhianaPunjab2M
32MaduraiTamil Nadu2M
33RaipurChhattisgarh2M
34MeerutUttar Pradesh2M
35VaranasiUttar Pradesh2M
36SrinagarJammu & Kashmir*2M
37TiruppurTamil Nadu2M
38JamshedpurJharkhand2M
39AurangabadMaharashtra2M
40JodhpurRajasthan2M
41RanchiJharkhand2M
42KotaRajasthan2M
43JabalpurMadhya Pradesh2M
44AsansolWest Bengal2M
45GwaliorMadhya Pradesh2M
46AllahabadUttar Pradesh2M
47AmritsarPunjab1M
48DhanbadJharkhand1M
49BareillyUttar Pradesh1M
50AligarhUttar Pradesh1M
51MoradabadUttar Pradesh1M
52MysoreKarnataka1M
53Durg-BhilainagarChhattisgarh1M
54BhubaneswarOdisha1M
55TiruchirappalliTamil Nadu1M
56ChandigarhChandigarh*1M
57SaharanpurUttar Pradesh1M
58Hubli-DharwadKarnataka1M
59GuwahatiAssam1M
60SalemTamil Nadu1M
61SiliguriWest Bengal1M
62JalandharPunjab1M
63SolapurMaharashtra1M
64WarangalTelangana1M
65DehradunUttarakhand1M
*Union territories. Names may have changed since this data was published. Source: UN World Urbanization Prospects (2018).
Just south of the Himalayas lies the Indo-Gangetic Plain, one of the most populated regions on Earth. Rivers fed by the massive mountain range make this region an exceptionally fertile agricultural zone.
Most of the plain lies in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state and home to 240 million people. This makes it comparable to the size of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world.
Meanwhile, a rare low density area can be spotted in the northeast of the country. This area is heavily forested and abound with several national parks, providing habitat for animals like leopards, rhinos, and water buffalos.
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